Butternut squash soup - Supa crema de dovleac

Now that fall is here to stay, i love the color of the light this time of the year, it looks pale yellow, and it casts a warm glow to everything. The only thing that i don't like, is when the sun sets. I love the colors of the sunset, but the dusk feels so sad, sudden and overwhelming when i barely leave work to go home.

I was reading the last number from Saveur, and i was carried away by the article "In The Heart of France" wrote by by David McAninch (here is the article from their website). I haven't been to France yet, but i would love to go, especially to see the country side, to see if what i imagine France to be like and smell like is real or not, and to see the charm of this place as described in this article and its pictures, because it was more enchanting to me than so many others seen until now. Of course i still want to see Paris, walk around until my legs hurt and taste the amazing macarons, it wouldn't be France without them.
Reading the pages from Saveur the other night, made me dream of the beautiful time to come, the cozy warm nights at home and the wonderful foods of the season. And most of all, made me miss Romania and my family, and it brought so many memories back. If i would have been born here, used to seeing the ocean and plam trees all year long, i wouldn't probably miss fall or winter. At least, I am happy that the last street on the way to my job is probably one of the few streets in west LA that have beautiful shedding trees, some sort of maples with a white bark, which now look pretty yellow and are getting ready to strip. I love to see them every day and i cannot believe how beautiful they are. Both blocks to the left and right of them have really tall palms, bending in the wind, just like you see everywhere in this city.

Although i don't have a favorite season, i have things that i love about each. For fall is Thanksgiving, apple and pumpkin pies, cinnamon and spices, the thick and warm soups and stews, which make you feel warm and make your house smell amazing.

When i saw the butternut squash at the market, i knew immediately that i want to make a soup out of it. I brought it home, excited, and told Gabriel what i was planning to make and he smiled and said : "sure, pumpkin soup is what i wished for all my life, that's food to crave for...." I rolled my eyes at him, and decided that i will make it anyway. I like pureed soups and i like roasted butternut squash, but i never used it for soup before. I only made soup with the mexican squash and italian zucchinis and i knew they were ok with that, so decided to give it a try.

Last night, i made the soup, not planning to add to many things to it, because i wanted to taste like squash mainly. So, after i pureed it, i tasted it and didn't like it at all. And if i don't like it, then for sure Clara and Gabi wouldn't eat more than a spoon. It was too sweet, more like baby food, and i don't say that i a good way.

That's how i decided to make it a bit more savory and add some flavors, and picked out nutmeg, ginger and all spice. To cut down the sweetness, i used the borsch powder, which i have found at the Polish store from Santa Monica, and also got more from my mom. But i found a recipe on the Saveur's website for the squash soup and they suggest canned tomatoes, which i am sure would have worked just fine if i didn't have the borsch.

Now, about the borsch (Romanian "bors"). Here is a link from wikipedia, where it explains that the Romanian bors is a sour soup, not the same with the Russian, German or Polish soups, and all the others. The powder that i am talking about is a concentrate, like the chicken or beef bouillon cubes. There is a veggie one and a white (from sour cream) one.

The beet chips - i made them for Clara last night. She loves the ones i get from Trader Joe's, made from beets, yams, parsnips, and other root vegetables, so i bought 4 beets, peeled and sliced them really thin and baked them for about 45 minutes at 250 F, just sprinkled with salt, until dried. Clara helped with them, loving the stains on her fingers and bragging how she eats healthy chips, without any oil or preservatives. Plus that she learned the word crimson last week, and she kept on saying how the beets have this wonderful crimson color :)))). I was happy, because she is not a big fan of beets, never ate them roasted or boiled, only when i added them to a soup, so she doesn't know about it. We'll make some more this weekend and i'll take some pictures.

I also added some toasted almond slivers to the soup, but after I took the photo, and i loved the crunch and nutty flavor brought to the soup.

Clara and Gabi ate a little, but still didn't like it. What was that they didn't like? "that it wasn't chicken noodle or any meat and veggies kind of soup. " "but I used chicken broth to make it..." "but the meat taste is not there, nor any meat pieces...." "but you could make it again for yourself, mom, maybe not this much, and something else for us?!"

So, unless i find someone else to eat this with me, i am not going to make it again soon, even though it was really good. In the meantime, chicken noodle and other meat and veggie soups.

Butternut squash soup

3 tablespoons oil
Half of a large onion, chopped
2 carrots, shredded or chopped
1 parsnip, shredded or chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1 bay leaf
3 lbs butternut squash, either cut in half and seeded, or peeled, seeded and cut into cubes
5 cups chicken or vegetable broth, or water (about 1 quart/1 liter)
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/4 teaspoon all spice
salt and pepper
1 cup tomato sauce or 2 tablespoons Polish or Romanian borsch (borscht) concentrate

toppings: heavy cream or sour cream , chives, beet chips and toasted almonds slivers

Preheat oven at 375F (190C). I cut the butternut squash in half, lengthwise, and seeded them, but you could also peel them, remove the seeds and cut the squash in cubes. Put the halves or cubes in a baking dish or roasting pan and bake them for about 45 minutes to an hour, until softened and caramelized. The roasting intensifies the flavor and also the orange color.
Saute the onion, carrots, parsnip, celery and bay leaf in a medium 2-3 qt pot, over medium heat, until softened.
Pour over the broth and let it boil about 10-15 minutes, then add the squash (if baked in halves, spoon out the flesh and throw the peel), the tomato sauce or borscht powder, the nutmeg, ginger, all spice, salt & pepper and let it simmer, covered, for about 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaf.
Puree the soup in batches in a blender, until smooth (cover the lid with a kitchen towel to hold the blender and to avoid any burning accidents). Return the soup to the pot and thin with water or broth if it’s too thick.
Serve hot with a drizzle of cream, beet chips, toasted almonds and chives.

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Supa crema de dovleac

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Pho Bo - Pho, supa vietnameza de vita cu fidea de orez

A couple of months ago, i was talking with Lola about asian recipes which we like a lot and wanted to make at home, since we always enjoy them when we eat out. We've been to Chinatown so many times, but we have tried only 3 or 4 places, and only one of them is our favorite. We never went twice to the others, because the first one was far better then any new one we wanted to try. We go there usually on Sunday, for lunch, on the way home from church. We are hungry and always want to order so many things. And besides the hot & sour soup which we get with the lunch order, which we love, we always order a second soup - the seafood egg drop one, just because we cannot go there without having it.

When i talked to Lola about these soups, i ventured to say that i want to make the seafood egg drop at home (which i did, and it was a fiasco, but i won't give up, i'll try it again soon) and also, pho, the Vietnamese soup. Lola said i must feel brave, but honestly, i had no clue how hard is actually to get it right.

So, I started to look for recipes online and thru my books at home, and i found one that sounded perfect. The recipe was in my book The Best of Gourmet, but you could also find it online here.

The recipe says that the soup is a favorite Vietnamese convenience food, usually purchased at street stands, but that the quality of the broth can make or break a cook's reputation. That sounded scary, but i wasn't completely discouraged. I read the recipe and thought i can pull it off. Moreover, i changed a little bit the recipe, because i had already some beef stock in my freezer, which i used instead of making a new one as recommended in the recipe. ( I made the beef stock with some neck bones and 2 shanks, about 3 lbs together, 1 whole onion, 2 celery ribs- cut in half, 2 carrots - cut in half, one parnsnip - cut in half. I know, i know, that sounds so not Vietnamese!!!!).

And then, the toppings are a little bit different from the ones recommended in the book or the ones served in a restaurant, because i had only some enoki mushrooms, radishes and cilantro in my fridge.

What i can tell you is that it came out wonderful, so tasty and just like the one we had at Pho 99, three blocks away from our house, although i know it doesn't respect the recipe 100%. How modest i sound.... I think it's the perfect remedy when you've got a cold, so this year we are not scared of the flu season anymore. We are waiting for it with a bowl of hot Pho.

Here it is my version, very similar to the one from Gourmet:

Pho Bo

2 large onions, sliced
1 (3-inch) piece fresh ginger, left unpeeled

3 qt beef stock
2 teaspoons star anise pieces
half a cinnamon stick
3 whole cloves
1 tablespoon black peppercorns

½ lb beef shabu-shabu or 1 (1/2-lb) piece boneless beef sirloin steak or tenderloin
1 lb dried thin or medium rice noodles
1/2 cup Asian fish sauce, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

- Broil onions and ginger on foil-lined rack of a broiler pan about 5 inches from heat, turning occasionally, until charred, 20 to 25 minutes. (Or, if you have a gas stove, roast onions and ginger directly on the rack of a gas burner over high heat, turning with tongs, until blistered and blackened, 10 to 15 minutes). Transfer to a bowl and cool. When the ginger is cool enough to handle, rinse and rub under cold running water to remove the blackened skin. i did not rinse the onions, we liked it a little bit charred.

-Wrap star anise, cinnamon stick, cloves, and peppercorns in cheesecloth and tie into a bundle to make a spice bag, then add to the pot along with 3 quarts stock, onions, and ginger. Simmer over medium low heat uncovered for about 30 minutes. Remove the spice bag and add the fish sauce and let it boil just a minute before serving.

- I found thin slices of beef shabu-shabu (paper-thin slices of meat) at Mitsuwa supermarket, so, I skipped this step. But you can use sliced sirloin steak or tenderloin. While the broth simmers, freeze the meat until firm but not frozen solid, about 30 minutes, then slice across the grain with a sharp thin knife into less than paper thin slices.

- Soak rice noodles in cold water to cover until softened, about 30 minutes, then drain. Cook noodles in a pot of boiling water, uncovered, stirring, one minute, then drain.

- Divide noodles among your soup bowls. Top noodles with uncooked sliced steak and ladle boiling-hot broth over steak and noodles. The hot broth will cook the meat.

- Serve the soup with fresh toppings like: fresh bean sprouts, fresh cilantro, mint, basil (preferably Thai) leaves, thinly sliced scallions, lime wedges, thinly sliced fresh Thai or serrano chiles.

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Supa vietnameza de vita cu fidea de orez

In urma cu cateva luni, vorbeam cu Lola despre retete asiatice care ne plac tare mult si pe care as vrea sa le incercam acasa.

Cand am fost in Chinatown, am incercat 3-4 locuri, dar numai unul este favoritul nostru. De fapt, la celelalte nu am fost decat o data si ne-am lamurit, primul ramane cel mai bun, incomparabil cu celelalte. Noi mergem de obicei la chinezi Duminica, dupa biserica, in drum spre casa. De fiecare data suntem foarte infometati si vrem fiecare cel putin un fel de mancare. Iar pe langa supa hot & sour (iute si acrisoara) pe care ne-o servesc cu pranzul, si care ne place tare mult, intotdeauna cerem o a doua supa - pe cea de fructe de mare cu zdrente de ou - pentru ca nu putem merge acolo si sa nu o comandam.

Cand am vorbit cu Lola despre supele asta, m-am aventurat sa zic ca vreau sa fac supa de fructe de mare (pe care am facut-o, a fost un fiasco, dar nu ma las batuta, o s-o incerc din nou), si de asemenea, Pho, supa vietnameza. Lola a zis ca trebuie sa fiu tare viteaza, dar cinstit, nu aveam la ora aia nici cea mai mica idee cat de greu e sa iti iasa bine.

Asa ca ca am inceput sa ma uit dupa retete pe internet si prin cartile mele de acasa, si am gasit una care mi s-a parut perfecta. Reteta e din cartea The Best of Gourmet, dar poate fi gasita si online aici.

Reteta spune ca Pho este o supa vietnameza, de obicei vanduta la standuri pe strada, dar calitatea zeamei poate sa ridice sau sa distruga reputatia unui bucatar. Si desi asta suna un pic stresant, nu m-am lasat descurajata. Am citit reteta si m-am gandit ca nu poate fi asa de greu. Ba chiar mai mult, m-am apucat sa schimb putin reteta, pentru ca aveam deja zeama de spa de vita in congelator, pe care am folosit-o in loc sa fac una noua dupa reteta gasita. (am facut supa de vita obisnuita, din peste un kg de oase de vita, de la gat si genunchi, cu o ceapa intreaga, 2 tije de telina, 2 morcovi si un pastarnac). Suna tare vietnamez, nu-i asa?

Apoi, ingredientele proaspete cu care am servit supa sunt diferite fata de ce recomanda reteta sau servesc in restaurante, pentru ca nu aveam decat ciuperci enoki, ridichi si coriandru in frigider.

Insa supa a iesit minunat, atat de gustoasa si aromata, exact ca cea pe care am mancat-o la Pho 99, un restaurant vietnamez la trei strazi de casa noastra, desi reteta me nu respecta originalul 100%. Modesta foc, manc-o mama, nu-i asa? Supa asta cred ca e remediul perfect cand esti racit, asa ca anul asta nu mai suntem speriati de sezonul de gripa ce se apropie. Il asteptam cu un castron de Pho fierbinte.

Asta e reteta facuta de mine, cu cateva modificari aduse celei din Gourmet.

Pho Bo

2 cepe taiate solzisori
o bucata de radacina de ghimbir, necuratata

3 litri zeama de supa de vita
2 seminte de anason stelat
o jumatate de bat de scortisoara
3 cuisoare
1 lingura boabe de piper

250 g carne de vita taiata f.f. subtire sau o bucata de carne de vita pentru friptura sau muschi
450 g fidea de orez
125 ml sos de peste Nam Pla ( sau sos de soia), sau dupa gust
½ lingurita sare, sau dupa gust

- Se pune ceapa si ghimbirul la copt intr-o tava la temperatura maxima sau la broiler (cand se incinge si gratarul de deasupra), pana sunt arse putin, 20-25 minute. Se pun intr-un castron si se lasa sa se raceasca. Cand ghimbirul e suficient de rece, se cojeste. Eu nu am spalat si cojit cepele, pentru ca ne plac putin mai arse.
- Se face un saculet din tifon in care se pune anasonul, scortisoara, cuisoarele si piperul si se pune la fiert cu zeama de supa, ceapa si ghimbirul. Se pune la fiert la foc mic neacoperit cca 30 minute. Se scoate saculetul de condimente si in ultimul minut se adauga sosul de peste, chiar inainte de a servi supa.
- Eu am gasit carne de vita shabu-shabu (adica e taiata feliute extem de subtiri) la un supermarket japonez, asa ca am sarit pasul asta. Dar se poate folosi o bucata de carne de vita pentru gratar sau muschi. Cat timp fierbe zeama de supa, se puen carnea la congelator si se lasa timp de 30 minute cat sa fie ferma, dar nu inghetata, apoi se taie impotriva fibrei feliute extem de subtiri.
- Se pune fideaua la muiat in apa rece, timp de 30 minute, apoi se scurge. Se pun taiteii la fiert in apa sarata clocotita, numai un minut, apoi se scurg.
- Se impart taiteii in castroanele de supa. Se pun deasupra cateva feliute de carne si se toarna peste cateva polonice de supa fierbinte. Zeama fierbinte va gati carnea.
Se serveste imediat, cu muguri de fasole, coriandru proaspat, menta, busuioc thailandez, ceapa verde tocata marunt, felii de limeta, ardei iute taiat feliute.

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Corn chowder - Supa-crema de porumb

My vacation is over. Hopefully, i am now rested and ready to go back to work. Spending time with Clara was really needed before school starts again and since my last vacation was over 8 months ago, a break from work was long over due.

We went back to Oceanside, for a week at the beach and tanning, doing nothing and being as lazy as possible. And that's exactly how this past week has passed. I am still not ready to face my desk tomorrow in spite of all the rest and laziness, but what can you do? I wish i was a kid again, i promise i would be so happy of going back to school and not complain about the vacation being gone so fast, but i don't think this helps me feel less miserable. On the other side, clara is so excited to meet her new teacher and her new coleagues, so at least one of us is doing better.

We have been eating out a couple of times, but except for the icecream desert, we were so dissapointed by all the food we had. It's either that the people we've asked did not know good places, or maybe we weren't lucky, but nothing stood out. We have tried an American diner, a Mexican seafood restaurant and one of the fish & chips places in the harbor, all pretty bad. The food from the dinner was blaah, the seafood was overcooked, we ended up asking for more quesadillas being still very hungry, and the fish & chips were so greasy.... The rest of the times i fixed something quick for lunch, dinner, and for the first time a whole week of breakfasts. We went to the farmers' market on Thursday and picked up some beautiful heirloom tomatoes, yellow wax beans, blueberries and strawberries. We made blueberries and mango pancakes and enjoyed our breakfast out on the balcony each morning, right on the beach.

Before we left, i made a corn chowder, but i didn't have the time to post anything. I have been waiting for along time to make this soup but i was waiting for corn to be in season to be very sweet and milky. I looked for a recipe for a long time, and i found a couple that i liked, so i decided to combine them and then made some other changes, so now it is a completely different recipe. I liked how creamy and tasty it came out, and i am sure when some crab or lobster is added to the list of ingredients, it's even better, but i made it without any seafood so clara could eat some too. I've read recently about using the corn cobs to make the stock, so i kept them and boiled them, it was a marvelous idea.

Corn chowder

8 corn on the cob - cut the corn off from 7 cobs, and keep the cobs to make the stock. The 8th cob will be grilled and the kernels used for garnish)

1/2 white onion diced

1 celery stalk diced

1 carrot finely grated

1 fennel bulb diced

250 ml heavy cream

400 ml chicken stock

salt & pepper to taste

smoked paprika

garnishes: 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro and 4 slices bacon, cut in small pieces

Shave the corn from seven of the cobs and reserve the kernels for later. Place the cobs in a pot with enough water to cover them, add a little bit of salt and boil them covered for about 20-30 minutes. This water will be used for the soup. Take the cobs out of the water and scrape down any bits of corn left on them and add this to the shaved kernel.

Saute the onion, celery, fennel and carrot together, until all softened. Add the shaved reserved kernels and saute for a couple of minutes, then add the chicken stock, salt and pepper and 450 ml from the water in which the cobs were boiled and let it simmer over medium heat for about 30 minutes.

In the meantime, grill the last cob (the 8th one), then cut off the kernels and reserve them for garnish.

Add the cream to the soup and let it come back to a simmer, then remove from heat.

Puree half of the soup in a blender, until creamy, then mix it with the rest of the soup that was not blended. If you prefer a creamier soup, puree the second batch as well.

Serve the soup hot, garnished with cilantro, bacon bits, grilled kernels and sprinkle a litle bit of smoked paprika.

You could add seafood to this soup. If you want, you could use the seafood to make the stock, boiling it for a couple of minutes with the cobs, then take it out of the water, remove the shells and reserve thw meat to be added to the soup after it was taken away from the heat. And for garnish you could use some chopped scallions and shredded cheese.

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Supa - crema de porumb

8 stiuleti de porumb (se taie boabele de porumb de pe 7 stiuleti si se pastreaza stiuletii pentru zeama de supa. Al optulea se pune la gratar, sau intr-o tigaie fara grasime, si boabele se folosesc pentru garnisit)
1/2 ceapa alba tocata marunt
1 tija de telina verde tocata marunt
1 morcov dat pe razatoarea mica
1 radacina fenicul (anason) tocata marunt
250 ml smantana dulce
400 ml zeama de supa de pui
sare si piper dupa gust
boia afumata

Pentru garnisit trebuie cateva linguri de coriandru proaspat tocat marunt si cateva felii de bacon prajit si taiat bucatele.

Se taie boabele de porumb de pe sapte stiuleti si se pun intr-un bol, iar stiuletii se pun la fiert intr-o oala, cu apa cat sa-i acopere si putina sare, si se fierb acoperiti cca 20-30 minute. Apa aceasta va fi folosita pentru supa. Se scot stiuletii de porumb din apa si cu lingura se "rad" si ultimele bucatele ramase si se adauga la restul de boabe de porumb.
Se soteaza ceapa, telina, feniculul si morcovul impreuna, timp de vreo 10 minute, pana sunt foarte moi. Se adauga boabele de porumb si se mai calesc cateva minute, apoi se toarna peste zeama de supa, sare si piper si 450 ml din apa in care au fiert stiuletii de porumb, si se lasa sa fiarba la foc mic aproape o jumatate de ora. Intre timp, se pune la gratar ultimul stiulete, apoi se taie boabele si se pastreaza pentru garnisit.
Se adauga smantana dulce la supa si se lasa pana ajunge iarasi la punctul de fierbere, apoi se da la o parte de pe foc.
Jumatate din supa se pune in blender si se face crema, apoi se amesteca cu restul de supa. Daca va place o supa mai cremoasa, se poate pune in blender toata supa, pe rand.Se serveste fierbinte, garnisita cu bucatele de bacon, coriandru proaspat, porumbul la gratar si putina boia afumata.

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Thai Shrimp Coconut Soup - Supa thailandeza de creveti cu lapte de cocos

Since I convinced myself that I love cooking and therefore I must be good at it, don't you like my reasoning and modesty?!, I've tried so many recipes that have nothing in common with the Romanian foods we grew up with. (My father always makes fun of me when I show them pictures of what I cooked and sees the combinations and the ingredients. Then he tells my husband to come back home more often to eat some real food and thanks him for not yet leaving me because of this. Yes, I am talking about MY dad, not his, and yes, I love my dad all the way to the moon and back and he probably loves me twice as much. But I'll come back to this some other time.)

I think this opening to new food is definetely because of where we live now. We are blessed here to find everything at all times and the selection is amazing, so the rules for going seasonal and local have never been easier to follow. On top of that, you could find always more than what you are looking for and you cannot resist temptation and cravings - at least I cannot and this is my excuse when I get carried away and come home with too many things. Sometimes I don't know if this is the gourmand part of me, or if my judgement is lacking in this area.

But this is how it goes: I read some cooking books that are truly inspiring, take a peak daily on about 10 different blogs, dream of being Suzanne Goin (at least twice a week), that I will meet Mr. Keller and I will make a good impression (ahem), or that I meet Bea and her originality and amazing talent for writing and photography will be passed on when we shake hands.

You understand now how easy it is to get carried away, don't you? And all this dreaming went on and made me feel fearless in my kitchen. So, I tried to make at home some of the dishes we liked when eating out, and I took a shot at the thai shrimp soup and made up several stir fry dishes, not to forget about the sushi and hot & sour soup (was good first time, ok second time, and anything else but hot & sour the next two times, but that did not discourage me yet).

My husband is not an adventurous eater and he doesn't give to much thought to food. For him, his opera singing is what food is for me. I, on the other side, think, read and talk about food most of the time, like to try things, would love to go to culinary school or start working in a restaurant, or stay home and cook each day, if I wouldn't be a conservative Capricorn afraid of changes and scared about this not being a responsible move, bla-bla-bla ... Our duaghter is the perfect combo, just like she did with the blood type (I have A, G has B, she's got AB), she picked from her father the love for music, performing and arts in general, and from me the passion about cooking. I think she knows ten times more than what I knew when I was her age, she likes to hang around the kitchen and help, loves the Iron Chef show which we watch together and now wants her own blog.

After looking for recipes for this soup, I found about 3 or 4 which sounded like what I thought it went in the soup we had out, so I combined them and adjusted them slightly. And because we eat shrimp during lent before Christmas and Easter, this recipe is just perfect.

If you want a more classic version, please look online, mine is not that. And feel free to make it mroe salty, sour or hot, as you like, this is on the mild side. Shrimp could be substituted with chicken.

Thai Shrimp Coconut Soup

Ingredients:
a pound and a half shrimp, deveined, shell on (shells are used for the broth)
one cup and a half coconut milk
½ cup bamboo shots sliced ( I used the canned ones)
1" fresh ginger grated
1" galangal peeled and sliced
3 kaffir lime leaves
1 stalk lemongrass cut in 2-3 pieces and slightly bruised with your knife
one tablespoon tom yum paste (could be substituted with chili paste mixed with ½ teaspoon sugar)
one tablespoon shrimp paste
half an onion sliced
2 tablespoons Nam Pla (fish sauce)- or one teaspoon salt
one cup sliced mushrooms -shiitake, straw, cremini, button (which I forgot to buy this time)
cilantro
juice from 1-2 limes
a few thai chillies, if you prefer your soup really hot

Rinse, peel and devein the shrimps, and set the shells aside for the broth.
In a pot, put the shrimp shells and the onion in 6 cups of water. After the water comes to a full boil, lower the heat to simmer and continue to cook for about 5 minutes. Strain the soup and discard the shells and onion.
In the same pot, saute in 1-2 tablespoons oil the ginger, galangal slices, lemongrass pieces, the tom yum paste and the shrimp paste for about 1-2 minutes, until frangrant, then add the reserved shrimp broth, the coconut milk and the kaffir lime leaves.
Let it come back to a simmer over low heat, then add the shrimp and bamboo shots for just 1-2 minutes. If you didn’t forget about the mushrooms as I did, add them now. Shrimp cooks very fast and will continue to cook in the warm stock. Overcooking them will turn them tough and rubbery.
Remove from heat and add the cilantro, lime juice and the fish sauce (Nam Pla). Remove the lemongrass and galangal before serving, if you like. They're not really edible. Adjust the taste to your liking, by adding more or less fish sauce, lime juice or slices of chillies.
Serve it with plain rice - white, brown, basmati.
You know how the chicken soup is good for colds and gets you out of bed? This one is just the same. Or at least that’s what we think.

Helpful notes from the recipes found online:
* Add the lime juice at the end instead of adding it with everything else, because the flavor of the lime gets mellowed when it's cooked. It should be fresh and bursting on your tongue.
** Galangal has no real substitute. Ginger is the closest.

*** Kaffir Lime leaves have a unique flavour. Lime zest is the closest thing (use 1-2 tsp).

If you make it with chicken instead of shrimp, saute the onion (this one will not be strained) with the condiments, then add the chicken at the same time with the (chicken) broth. Let it cook until the chicken turned all white on the outside, then it is almost done and you could add the mushrooms and the bamboo shots.

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Supa thailandeza de creveti cu lapte de cocos

Este o supa thailandeza cu lapte de cocos, care se poate face cu pui sau creveti, dupa preferinta. Imi pare rau ca nu am cum sa traduc numele pt. ingredientele specifice, galangal, lemongrass, tom yum, dar am incercat sa gasesc diferite posibilitati de a le inlocui ca alte ingrediente.

Ingrediente:
500-700 gr creveti nedecorticati, carapacea se pastreaza pt. zeama de supa
o conserva de 400 ml lapte de cocos
muguri de bambus
o bucatica de vreo 3 cm ghimbir proaspat ras pe razatoarea mica
o bucata de vreo 3cm radacina galangal (seamana cu ghimbirul, dar e mai mare si miroase puternic a lamaie) taiata feliute
3 frunze de limeta (lime)
o bucata lemongrass taiata in 2-3 segmente, strivite putin
o lingura pasta de tom yum (se poate inlocui cu pasta de chili frecata cu ½ lingurita zahar)
o lingura pasta de creveti (daca aveti pasta de chili sau tom yum, puteti sari peste asta)
o jumatate ceapa taiata solzi
2 linguri Nam Pla (fish sauce)- se poate inlocui cu sos de soia, sau pur si simplu sare, dupa gust, nu 2 linguri!!!
coriandru proaspat
zeama de la 2 limette ( sau lamai)
cativa ardei iuti taiati feliutze daca va place mancarea picanta

1. Se spala si curata crevetii de coaja. Intr-o cratita se pun cojile de creveti si ceapa cu un litru de apa calduta si se lasa sa dea in clocot, apoi sa fiarba la foc mic vreo 5 minute. Se strecoara supa si se pastreaza zeama, restul se arunca.

2. In aceeasi cratita se calesc in doua linguri de ulei ghimbirul ras pe razatoarea mica, radacina de galangal taiata feliute, bucatile de lemongrass, pasta de creveti si pasta tom yum, timp de un minut, apoi se sting cu zeama de supa, laptele de cocos si se adauga frunzele de limeta. Se lasa sa ajunga din nou la fierbere, si se micsoreaza focul sa nu dea in clocot.

3. Se adauga crevetii si mugurii de bambus si se lasa sa fiarba numai vreo 1-2 minute, cat sa devina crevetii roz. (Acum se adauga ciupercile de care eu uitasem.) Crevetii trebuie gatiti foarte putin, altfel isi pierd gustul si devin tari si "cauciucosi" - ii aud parca pe ai mei zicand ceva despre romana mea deteriorata)

Se da cratita la o parte de pe foc si se adauga coriandru proaspat tocat, zeama de lime sau lamaie si sosul Nam Pla (sau sosul de soia sau sare) dupa gust. Pasta de tom yum este picanta, dar pentru cine prefera mancarurile iuti, se poate adauga mai mult ardei iute la sfarsit taiat rondele.

Se serveste fierbinte cu orez fiert simplu garnitura (alb, maro, basmati, dupa preferinta).

Sfaturi gasite la retetele din care m-am inspirat:
* adaugati sucul de limeta (lamaie) numai la sfarsit, si nu in timpul fierberii, pentru ca gustul se estompeaza cand sucul este fiert. Gustul acru trebuie sa se simta proaspat si acid.
** Galangal-ul nu poate fi inlocuit usor. Ghimbirul este cel mai apropiat la gust, dar nu e chiar acelasi lucru.

*** Frunzele de limeta au o aroma unica. Cel mai apropiat gust il are coaja rasa de la o limeta (aveti nevoie de 1-2 lingurite). Ma gandesc ca poate si frunzele de lamaie dau o aroma buna adaugate la coaja rasa.

Daca faceti supa aceasta folosind carne de pui, atunci caliti ceapa cu primele condimente, fara sa mai strecurati supa, apoi adaugati carnea de pui si zeama de supa de pui. Se lasa sa fiarba la foc mic pana cand carnea de pui este complet alba pe dinafara, atunci este aproape gata si se adauga ciupercile si mugurii de bambus.

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Tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwich - Supa de rosii cu sandvich de branza topita

Everybody must have a different recipe for tomato soup, with or without cream, and different ingredients, and I could certainly say that I have never made tomato soup twice the same, because every time I use whatever I find in my fridge. You could always add zucchini, even grilled corn to it, more carrots.... Look only how wonderful Cristina’s carrot and tomato soup with ricotta dumplings looks, and I still haven’t made it, although it waits on my list for months now.

Every time I eat (or only just think of) tomato soup, I remember the ones made by my mom and my grandma (Maia) in summertime, served cold, when you were melting in the heat and feel that you couldn’t possibly eat anything but fruits and icecream. This soup smells like summer as much as cherries smell like June and the summer holiday starting soon. At least for me it does.

This time I made it without any rice or pasta, like my mom and grandma make it sometime. We ate it with a grilled cheese sandwich, as we learnt to like since we live here. Because it is not yet the season for sweet tasty tomatoes, I used whole canned tomatoes and diced canned tomatoes. Next time, I am thinking to roast some Roma tomatoes and see if they will make it better.

Ingredients:

- one medium onion, diced
- 2 carrots and one parsnip, grated

- one stalk celery chopped

- one 28 oz. can whole tomatoes (which I mashed- chopped before adding them to the soup)

- one 14.5 can diced tomatoes

- one quart chicken broth ( you could substitute vegetable or beef)

- one tablespoon sugar

I sauteed the onion, carrot, parsnip and celery, until softened, then added the broth and all the tomatoes, and let it simmer for about 30 minutes. I added the sugar to cut the acidity from the tomatoes, but you can omit it or add more, as you like.

I let the soup cool down for a while, and working in batches, I put half of it in the blender and pureed it, then the other half, poured it back in the pot and brought it once more to a boil. I made the sandwich with Provolone and Muenster, on the electric grill, long enough to get the cheese melted and some grill marks on the wheat bread. But any panini made on the grill, heavy skillet or grill would do.
On top is a little bit of sour cream and basil. You could always add cream or sour cream, chopped basil or other herbs to the soup. It is refreshing, light and tasty.

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Supa de rosii cu sandwich de branza topita la grill

Fiecare are o reteta de supa de rosii, iar eu pot spune cu sigurantza ca nu am facut-o de doua ori la fel, pentru ca de fiecare data am adaugat alte legume si zarzavaturi, in functie de ce aveam prin frigider. Cat de minunat arata supa Cristei cu morcovi si rosii cu galusti de urda, pe care tot nu am reusit sa o fac, desi e pe lista de cateva luni.
De fiecare data cand mananc supa de rosii imi aduc aminte de cele facute de mama si de bunica mea, servite reci, vara, cand simteai ca te topesti de caldura si nu ti-era foame mai deloc. Pentru mine supa asta miroase a vara la fel de mult cum miros ciresele a Iunie si a vacanta care incepe curand. Cel putin pentru mine.
De data asta am facut-o fara orez sau paste, cum faceau cateodata mama si maia mea, pentru ca am servit-o cu sandwich de branza pus pe grill, cum am invatat sa mancam de cand ne-am aciuit pe aici. Nefiind sezonul pt. rosii dulci si gustoase ( pe care nu le gasesti intotdeauna nici macar vara), am facut supa din rosii intregi conservate.

Ingrediente:

- o ceapa medie tocata
- 2 morcovi si un pastarnac rasi pe razatoarea mare
- o tija de telina tocata
- o cutie de 900g rosii intregi ( pe care le-am tocat inainte de a le pune in supa)
- o cutie de rosii tocate in suc de rosii de 450g
- un litru supa de pui si legume
- o lingura de zahar

Am calit cateva minute ceapa, morcovul, pastranacul si telina, cat sa se moaie putin, apoi am adaugat zeama de supa si toate rosiile, si am lasat sa fiarba cca 30 minute. Am pus si lingurita de zahar, ca sa taie din aciditatea rosiilor, dar se poate omite sau se poate pune mai mult, dupa gustul fiecaruia.

Cand s-a racit putin, am pus jumatate din supa in blender si am facut-o crema, apoi restul, dupa care inapoi in oala si am lasat-o sa mai dea un clocot.

Intre timp am uns doua felii de paine de secara cu unt numai pe o parte, si am facut sandwich cu doua felii de branza, eu am avut provolone si muenster, pastrand partea unsa cu unt in exterior. Am pus sandwichul pe grill mai putin de un minut, cat sa se topeasca branza si sa prinda painea niste dungi frumoase. Se poate face absolut perfect si intr-o tigaie neaderenta, fara alta grasime decat untul de pe felii, si se tine aproape un minut pe fiecare parte.

Am decorat cu putina smantana pusa cu spritzul si o frunza de busuioc, si am servit-o cu sandvich-ul.

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